AMIR Khan is being tipped to win an Olympic medal by a former boxing champion.

The 17-year-old, from Heaton, faces his first fight in the lightweight preliminary round on Monday night.

But even though Amir faces stiff competition from Cuba's Mario Kinderlan, who is the reigning Olympic champion, the teenager has received backing from boxing legend Glenn McCrory.

The former IBF cruiserweight champion believes that Amir, a member of Bury Amateur Boxing Club, can give the sport a massive boost.

"There's definitely a void to fill there, and in Khan we have a kid who can excite people if he does well at the Olympics," McCrory said.

Success at the Olympics for wonder kid Amir Khan would give British boxing a much-needed shot in the arm, according to Glenn McCrory.

At just 17, Khan is Team GB's only boxing representative at the Athens Games - Britain's worst showing in qualification since 1992 - but the lightweight hopeful is also one of his nation's hottest medal prospects.

The excitement generated by the Bolton youngster's rapid progress is the perfect tonic to complaints in British boxing circles about the lull in quality homegrown talent.

And McCrory, the former IBF cruiserweight champion, believes a gold medal for Khan in Athens will provide a massive boost for the sport.

"There's definitely a void to fill there and in Khan we have a kid who can excite people if he does well in the Olympics," said McCrory.

"For a start he's young, very keen and seems like he has his feet on the ground so he fits the bill perfectly.

"By rights he shouldn't even be at the Olympics because he's not old enough to compete with the seniors in the UK, so it's amazing really.

"And the fact that he's our only guy out there really puts him and British boxing in the spotlight. It'd be fantastic for him and the sport over here if he could take advantage of that."

Khan, whose cousin is Lancashire cricketer Sajid Mahmood, is undoubtedly the best prospect to emerge from the UK in years.

Promoters are already falling all over themselves to sign him and Frank Warren has already admitted an interest, so it seems the future looks incredibly bright.

With a nickname like Golden Boy' already bestowed upon him, a medal of the same metallic variety would be a perfect way to launch his professional career.

McCrory certainly thinks so, and said: "Definitely. You can't underestimate it success at all.

"Things will move along a hell of a lot quicker if he wins a gold in Athens.

You only have to look at what happened to Audley Harrison after the Sydeny Olympics".